Velvet Soup
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Velvet, literal velvet. That's the best way I can describe this soup. Creamy, not too rich, butternut squash goodness that tops all squash soups I've ever had. This velvety amazingness comes from the cookbook A Kitchen in France by Mimi Thorissan. I'm killing two birds with one stone in this post by accomplishing the first month of my new years resolution and reviewing my current Blogging for Books cookbook. I have now cooked two cookbook meals in January (pat on back)! Look forward to February's cookbook recipes!
I got this cookbook back in November, but just hadn't gotten around to cooking from it. Not that everything doesn't sound amazing but it was the holidays which meant eating out often and cooking lots of traditional family recipes.
The original recipe from A Kitchen in France actually calls for pumpkin. After all the pumpkin craziness in the fall, I'm kind of over it by now so I subbed it for butternut squash. The recipe made this soup turn out better than I expected. Cooking from cookbooks has re-established that some of the best and definitely most trustworthy recipes come from books not the internet, sorry Pinterest. I made it Sunday night for friends while we watched Miss Universe and it was slurped up by all.
Butternut Squash Soup adapted from A Kitchen in France
yields 4-6 servings
Instructions:
2 Tbsps. olive oil
2 cups butternut squash, peeled and roughly chopped
1 cup parsnips, peeled and chopped
3 shallots, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups milk of choice, I used skim
1 1/4 cups chicken stock
salt and pepper
chopped parsley and granola for garnish* optional
Directions:
In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook until lightly golden, about 4-5 minutes. Add the squash and parsnips, season with salt and pepper and cook for 8 minutes.
Pour in the milk and vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover and simmer until the vegetables are tender, 15-20 minutes.
Puree the soup in batches in a blender. If the soup is too thick you can add some milk. Once completed pureed, taste and see if any additional seasoning is needed. Mine was perfect, you don't want over season and take away from the butternut squash taste.
*Mimi from AKIF tops hers with a spoonful of crème fraîche and a sprinkle of chives. I recently had some acorn squash that was topped with granola and I loved the crunch it added! My honey almond granola from last week was the perfect crunchy topping on this butternut squash soup. I also like a little green so I added some parsley because it's what I had on had. You can keep it plain or get creative with your toppings!
I love Mimi's seasonal recipes and the way she talks about her family and cooking for them in France. After all the Ina Garten episodes filmed in Paris and watching her cook French food, as well as being inspired by my friend who studied abroad in Paris, and seeing blogger bestie Molly's pictures from her summer in Europe and trying french food for the first time this summer, and my parents traveling there in the fall and with my sister going on her honeymoon to the south of France this summer (woah okay that was a lot) I've really become infatuated with French food.
AKIF is a beautiful and big book. It feels like a real cookbook, ya know what I mean? Big, sturdy, and filled with authentic recipes. Some of the recipes seem more challenging than my simple cooking aesthetic, but I want to challenge myself to try more, especially after the soup success!
You can read more about A Kitchen in France in my review on B4B!
Annie
I received this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for this review. If you are a also a blogger make sure to check out their site on how you too can start Blogging for Books!
